Sheaf-binder harvesting-machine.



F. B. WELLS.

SHEAF BINDAR HARVESTING UIMCHHQE.v APPLICATION mio MAR. 20,1917.

Patented. Jan.. 1,1918;

FREDRICK BRUTON WELLS, F STEVENAGE, ENGLAND.

SHEAF-BINDER HARVESTING-IVIACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 'J an. 1, 1918.

Application mea Maren 2o, 1917. serial No. 155,986.

useful Improvements in or Relating to Sheaf-Binder Harvesting-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

It has before been proposed in sheaf binder harvesting machines comprising sheaf carriers or cradles into which the bound sheaves are delivered from the binding platform, to automatically operate such a cradle from the binding mechanism by means of a ratchet and pawl mechanism, whereof the ratchet wheel is moved forward one tooth each time a sheaf is bound by means` of the pawl, and has secured to it a trip piece or lugs adapted to operate a trip catch to release the latter from a tail plece of the cradle frame. The latter then falls owing to the weight of the contained sheaves against the resistance of a spring, and having dropped the sheaves is raised to normal position again by the said spring. By altering the number of lugs on the ratchet wheel in proportion to the ratchet teeth any desired number of sheaves may be collected in the carrier or cradle and simultaneously dropped.

Such known apparatus does not, however, except within certain limits, permit the necessary alteration of the mechanism to vary the number of sheaves simultaneously dropped by the cradle, to be quickly made on the spot during the temporary stoppage of the machine, as by the driver for example, but practically requires the machine to be constructed for the cradle delivery of a predetermined number of sheaves; for the reason that if the number of ratchet teeth is altered, then the throw of the pawl must of course also be correspondingly altered to suit the altered pitch of the ratchet teeth. The known apparatus has no means for effecting this, the pawl being jointed to an arm fixed on a rock shaft oscillated by a cam on the large wheel of the knotter driving mechanism, the throw of which cam is fixed and cannot be altered.

My present invention is designed to provide improved and simplified ratchet and pawl operated mechanism for automatically controlling the working of the cradle to simultaneously deliver a predetermined number of contained sheaves, the same comprising an interchangeable detachable ratchet wheel in combination with an operating pawl'y or detent whose throw is readily variable, whereby the mechanism may be quickly adjusted on the spot, as by the driver for example, to cause the cradle to deliver any required number of sheaves simultaneously, by simply detaching the interchangeable ratchet wheel, replacing it by another having a different number of teeth, and altering the throw of the pawl or detent to suit.

The preferred construction comprises a pawl or detent carried by a lever which pivots on the shaft of the ratchet wheel, and an adjustable connection between said lever and a connecting rod operated from a reciprocating member of the tying mechanism or knotter, such, for instance, as the connecting rod whereby the needle rock shaft is operated from the knotter shaft, the cradle being worked from a cam fixed on the ratchet wheel shaft.

In the annexed drawings in which similar letters refer to corresponding parts in all the iiguresz- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of parts of a sheaf binder harvesting machine of the class set forth showing mechanism in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the said mechanism in end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a detached end View of the cradle operating cam shaft showing the ratchet toothed wheel and the detent by which the same is rotated.

Fig. 4 is a view of the same shaft from the other end showing the .cam thereof and the parts operated by the latter in position to permit the loaded cradle to fall. n

Fig. 5 is a detached view of the lever e shown broken away in Fig. 3.

A indicates the usual endless bands by which the crop is lifted over the top of the main wheel B and delivered onto the trip board C above the binding platform D. E is the knotter shaft and F a reciprocating connecting rod by which the oscillating crank arm F of the needle rock shaft F is operated from the knotter shaft E. G, G', are the cradle rock shafts caused to move in unison by the rod H which connects the cranks I, I', fixed on said shafts,

J, J, indicate the cradle arm members hung from and moving with the cradle rock shafts G, G. All these parts are well known and need no further description in connection with my invention.

Iwill now describe my improved cradle operating drawings L is a shaft mounted in bearings on brackets rt conveniently xed to the main frame of the machine and having a ratchet toothed wheel Z) detachably fixed at one end thereof and a snail cam c fixed at its other end. The ratchet toothed wheel Z) has three equally spaced teeth, but this numbermay be varied according to the number of sheaves it is desired to simultaneously deliver.

A step by step rotary motion is imparted to the shaft a by means of the detent CZ carried by the lever c pivoting on shaft a, this lever being oscillated by the connecting rod or link f which connects it with the reciprocating rod F whereby the needle rock shaft F is operated from the knotter or tying shaft E.

`An arm g pivoting on the cradle rock shaft Gr rests on the operative surface of the said snail cam c and is furnished with a laterally projecting pin g which engages in an angular slot Z1. in a stop arm h pivoting on the cam shaft a. When the cradle is empty and in the raised or closed position ready to receive sheaves from the binding platform, as shown in Fig. l, the arm g rests on the lowest portion of the snail cam and the end of the stop arm z, supports an antifriction roller z" on the end of an arm z' fixed tothe cradle shaft G. Then the parts are in this position the cradle is consequently prevented from falling or opening by reason of the said stop arm 71,.

At each complete revolution of the knotter shaft E, t'. e. for each sheaf bound, the ratchet toothed wheel ZJ is advanced one tooth space and the bound sheaf is swept off the binding platform into the cradle by the usual ejector arm la of the knetter, and at the completion of a revolution of the ratchet wheel b the cam c, lifting the arm g by its highest portion or nose, as seen in Fig. t, causes the latter to swing the stop arm L, by means of the angular slot and pin connection, from beneath the roller z" on the end of the aforesaid arm t' fixed to the cradle shaft G. The loaded cradle then opens or falls by gravity and discharges the bound sheaves contained in it while at the same time the sheaf ejected from the binding platform as the ratchet wheel Z) is advanced its third tooth space and complet-es a revolution, falls to the ground. The empty cradle is then raised or closed again by a suitable spring Z, suiiiciently strong to raise or close the empty cradle but whose resistance is overcome by the weight of the latter when mechanism as illustrated in thel loaded. 0r instead of the spring Z, a counterbalance weight on an arm extending from the cradle rock shaft G, may be employed. Vith a three toothed ratchet wheel b as illustrated, three sheaves will be simultaneously discharged to the ground. Starting with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. l, two bound sheaves will have been received by the cradle when the ratchet wheel b has been advanced through two tooth spaces, and when the cradle falls or opens, as above described, on completion of a revolution of said ratchet toothed wheel, the'parts being then in the positions shown in Fig. 4, azthird sheaf ejected from the bindingplatform as the said ratchet wheel is advanced its third tooth space, will fall directly to the ground with the sheaves from the cradle. -The latter is then immediately raised or closed again by thespring Z, restoring they parts to the positions shown in Fig. l.

In order to vary the number of sheaves simultaneously discharged to the ground, it

is only necessary to remove the detachable v ratchet toothed wheel Z9 and 'to substitute therefor an interchangeable ratchet toothed wheel having a different number of teeth. In order to adapt the throw of the detent Z to suit the length of the tooth spacesA of various interchangeable ratchet wheels, the lever e carrying the said detent has av series of holes e', Fig. 5, with any one of which the connecting rod f may be pivotally connected. IVith a four toothed ratchet wheel, four sheaves will be simultaneouslyy delivered to the ground, and so on.

I do not wish to. confine myself to the precise cam operated means for releasing the cradle shown in the drawings although I consider the same to be the most satisfactory in practice, and other means controlled by a cam on the shaft of the ratchet'toothed wheel, whereby the cradle is released on the completion of a revolution of this shaft, may f be employed without departing from my invention.

Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. In a sheaf binder harvesting machine, the combination with a cradle rock shaft, of cradle arms dependent therefrom, rotary knotting mechanism, a reciprocal member actuated by said knotting mechanism, a cam shaft supported in proximity to said cradle rock shaft, a ratchet removably carried adjacent one end of said cam shaft, a link adapted to be actuated by said reciprocal member, a lever pivotally carried at one end of said link, a pawl adjustably supported by said lever and adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet to advance the latter, and means adjacent the end of the cam shaft opposite that on which the ratchet is carried for rocking said cradle rock shaft and releasing the cradle after the ratchet has been turned a distance defined by a predetermined number of teet 2. In a sheaf binder harvesting machine, the combination with oppositely disposed cradle shafts, of a connection therebetween whereby said shafts are rocked in unison, rotary knotting mechanism, a reciprocal member actuated by said knotting mechanism, a cam shaft supported in proximity to one of said cradle shafts, a ratchet removably carried adjacent one end of said cam shaft, a link adapted to be actuated by said reciprocal member, adjustable means pivotally carried by said link for advancing said ratchet on its shaft, a cam adjacent ve cents each, by addressing FREDRICK BRUTON WELLS.

Witnesses: w

SIDNEY J. THORNHILL, ALBERT EDGAR ALEXANDER.

the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

